by Jason Hale
"Debating whether to eat you or not."
"Ah! Hel-"
But before she could finish, Konnor silenced her with his lips. His warm tongue dived into her mouth, and in that electrifying instant, she forgot her cultivation.
The world fell into a deathly silence where even the sound of breeze became inaudible. Konnor pulled her from the tree, bringing her into his arms to trap her within his strong embrace.
Taken off-guard and overwhelmed by sensations she'd never experienced beforehand; Nier didn't know what to do.
Therefore, she did nothing, letting his lips toy with hers and his tongue assail hers. Her heart beat erratically, drumming against his chest in a thundering concerto that echoed her wild, wavering emotions.
But then she snapped out of it, bit his lips and shoved him away.
"How dare you be this impolite to the emperor's daughter? Are you tired of living? Unruly lecher!"
She fumed. Blood trailed from Konnor's lower lip, but the wound itself was already healing due to his innate self-regeneration abilities.
"Says the one that wanted me to keep kissing her breast. Obviously, I'm only finding a way to satisfy your needs without disrespecting the emperor. I'm a loyal citizen."
"You…shameless bully!"
She aimed her index at his face, but seeing the naked insolence with which he looked at her, she wobbled, unsure of what to do.
Clearly, she had been heavily sheltered from birth, and aside from using her sword, she didn't know how to deal with rogues.
So, she summoned her sword.
"Give me back my innocence!"
"Don't be so dramatic. I have yet to actually pin you down…"
"Aaargh! Stop bullying me!"
Nier swung her sword at Konnor's neck only to see him vanish and appear by her side. She spun to slash his chest, but only cut an afterimage. This went on for dozens of moves through which Nier realized that unless she went all-out, she couldn't touch a corner of Konnor's clothes.
"Huh…so fast."
She panted with her knees half bent and her hands pressed on her thighs. Meanwhile, Konnor was standing right in front of her with a victorious smile and his arms crossed beneath his back.
"Alright, I know you don't really want to harm me. What do you want to do now?"
Only now did Nier realize that she had nothing left to do here and should take her leave.
"I guess I should try to find my fifth brother. He must be worried sick."
Although Konnor was an insolent bandit, he effortlessly took the boredom away from her heart. It was a rare, refreshing sensation as within the imperial palace, she was trapped between fawners and silently warring factions. There was no opportunity for genuine friendship.
"Does your fifth brother care that much about you?"
"Naturally! In this world, the people that dote on me the most are my father, my eldest brother and my fifth brother. They could burn the country for my sake!"
Nier boasted, but her innocent words had different implications within Konnor's mind.
"Why don't you stick with me for a while. We can hunt Monstrous Beasts together as we seek your brother."
Konnor offered, feeling the hint of reluctance within her earlier words.
Immediately, her eyes lit up.
"For real?"
"For real."
"Alright, if you insist!"
She sounded quite magnanimous as if Konnor was the one in need of company and not the other way around.
"But I warn you, we need to have a clear rule."
"What rule?"
"You need to stay at least three steps away from me."
Puzzlement shone within Konnor's eyes as Nier' words echoed within his ears.
"Why?"
She straightened her back and looked at him with seriousness.
"Because you're a wolf out of his sheep clothing, and make me feel like a lamb."
Konnor burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Girl, I like you."
"Who's a girl? I am one year older than you! You should call me Nier or…big sister!"
"Also, I know I am fantastic, exceptional, unrivaled under the heavens with beauty transcending fairies and goddesses but…be careful of not falling in love with me.
I would just break your heart!"
Speechless, Konnor shook his head, turned heels and used his Origin Sight to seek new prey.
"Wait, Anselm, wait!"
...
Meanwhile, within the fourth level, a particular Accursed Beast had grown restless.
"How can this be? Was that demonic energy I felt? Is there a true demon within the third level?"
It was an owl beast endowed with terrifying sensory abilities and could feel all energy signatures across hundreds of miles.
Many foreign energy signatures had appeared within its range, but it paid them no heed.
It had lived for more than a thousand years, and new that every one hundred or so years, foreigners would dive into the Prism World to slaughter demonic beasts or get slaughtered in the process.
Although they were fully aware of it, most Accursed Beasts wouldn't leave their territories to attack the invader because, on one hand, they knew the event was controlled by much more terrifying existences that could butcher them at any time, on the other hand, there was not much to gain by doing so.
However, now it was different.
"Judging by the energy signature, that demon must be young and weak. If I can swallow him, I can drastically improve my bloodline. Perhaps reaching the Restoration Beast Rank in this lifetime is not impossible. I must seize the opportunity!"
The Accursed Beast spread its wings and flew toward the third level.
Chapter 59 - You Can Count On Me
With his Origin sight serving as guide, Konnor had no issue locating the surrounding Monstrous Beasts. He spotted a Two-Headed Rhinoceros three kilometers away from where he currently stood and decided to make it his prey.
Nier who stayed close behind was starting to wonder if he possessed a tracking method when his voice echoed.
"Three kilometers north-east. Don't fall behind."
He then turned into a purple beam and shot toward the destination.
"That's my line! Let's see who gets there first."
Carried by a hurricane, she rushed after him.
Their short race led them to the Two-Headed Rhinoceros, a demonic beast of pitch-black skin and two heads each possessing a pair of crimson eyes and adorned with a thirty-five centimeters long horn.
"Wow, you were actually right. Could you be an Origin Sight wielder?"
To be able to spot the beast's position from several kilometers away was not something someone of the Grand Rank could pull off. Only those born with Origin Sight could achieve such a thing.
However, Origin Sight was an exceedingly rare ability whose users were often brought into the church at a young age. Finding one outside of the church was nigh impossible.
Yet, it seemed one currently stood by her side.
"Shush."
Konnor ignored her question by silencing her with his index while keeping his eyes locked on the beast's every move.
"Tch, it's just a low-grade Monstrous Beast. What is there to be afraid of."
In a whirlwind, Nier summoned her energy sword and shot toward the demonic beast.
She gave it no warning, swinging her sword at its neck in a swift, clean move that left no room for waste or excesses.
*Clang*
As if protected by a metallic shell, her sword rebounded against the beast's neck in a clang. She spun backward, landing back on her feet, but now, it was alarmed.
The Two-Headed Rhinoceros bellowed, stomped its feet, and hurled itself at Nier.
With a sword in hand, her previous immaturity was replaced by sharp, focused eyes that scanned her foe for all openings.
Wind and lightning swirled around her form, merged with her sword, and empowered it with the wind and lightning attributes. T
he wind sharpened its edge while the lightning made sure that every blow would carry explosive, devastating force.
Sidestepping, she let the beast move past her then cut it from below in an upward cleave.
Its blood gushed forth, and its scream pierced the air.
Nier then leaped above the Two-Headed Rhinoceros and locked her eyes on the intersection between its two heads. She slashed at that point, her sword effortlessly splitting the beast in two from the spot between its two heads all the way down to its tail.
It couldn't even release another grunt before its blood drenched the ground and life left it.
With a somersault, Nier landed back on her feet and turned to face Konnor with a winning smile.
"How was it? Impressed?"
But as she said those words, she saw Konnor's eyes widen.
"Careful!"
In a flash, he appeared by her side, seized her waist and turned into light particles that reappeared a few steps away.
Two horns had just passed by the spot Nier was previously standing in and impaled themselves in the tree ahead.
Had Konnor not acted with haste, she would have probably gotten skewered.
"That creature possessed the ability to automatically fire its horns at its opponent upon its death. Had I not been there, the Monstrous Beasts of the third level would now have a Nier' brochette on the menu. How could you be so careless?"
He admonished with a disapproving glance.
"Humph, had you not been there, I would not have been so careless."
She wouldn't repent!
"Oh? Does that mean my presence snatches all your attention? I didn't think I possessed such mesmerizing charms. Thank you for the compliment."
"Shameless!"
It seemed she was more preoccupied with calling out his shamelessness than asking him to let go of her. But as they bickered, dark-green fog spread within the previously clear sky, covering everything across several miles.
Konnor let go of Nier, and together they shifted their attention toward this unexpected phenomenon.
"Sorry, it was too fast. By the time it entered my detection range, it was already here."
The system's voice echoed within Konnor's mind, confirming his fears that a terrifying enemy had reared its head. And if that wasn't enough, an enormous pressure comparable to the Transcendent Rank descended from the dark-green sky and crushed both Konnor and Nier beneath its might.
"What the hell is going on?"
…
The Monstrous Beasts of the third level upon feeling that pressure all began scattering toward distant directions, running as far and as quickly as they could. As for the few noble teams within the third level, they were all alarmed by the sudden appearance of this formidable power and believing the reason to be their slaughter of the demonic beasts, they all rushed back to inferior levels!
All except one.
The von Juras team had been looking for Nier for some time but to no avail. Now, with the sudden appearance of this force, even they couldn't afford to spend more time within the third level. However, Holgren's orders didn't change. On the contrary, his tone carried more urgency.
"Keep looking! Nier must be in the surroundings. Before we leave, we must first find him! I will execute anyone that attempts to sneak to safety before my little brother is found!"
…
Meanwhile, from the dark-green fog bloating the sky, a shadow descended. It was a strange looking brown owl with large green eyes, a fifty centimeters long body standing on a pair of two 1.5 meters long legs.
Those large green orbs that served as its eyes locked on Konnor and shone with greed.
"A demonic beast descending from house Stolien."
Not all demonic beasts could trace their lineage back to a demon god and his noble house. Those linked to the nobility of the infernal realm usually stood above the rest with powerful physiques, abilities and higher cultivation speed than their peers.
However, like all demonic beasts, they faced the same problem: Bloodline.
Unlike humans who greatly depended on their physique and bloodline level until the Arch Rank, then relied on their comprehension skills, the progress of demonic beast hinged on their bloodline level from the lowest to the highest rank.
Without a sufficiently powerful bloodline, they couldn't go beyond certain ranks. This demonic beast of the Accursed Rank had exhausted its bloodline potential and, in this lifetime, had no hope to reach the Decadent Beast Rank and above.
Unless of course, it committed Demonic Restoration.
Demonic Restoration was the act of lower level demons devouring higher level demons to swallow their bloodline in order to improve their own.
It was a well-known practice among the demonic beasts above the Accursed Rank but was rarely put to use as those of higher bloodlines were usually a lot more powerful.
Unless of course they'd yet to mature.
And as it laid its eyes on Konnor, the Stolien Accursed Beast realized this was one such case.
"A young and feeble pureblooded demon. Jackpot! I've hit the jackpot!"
The Stolien Accursed Beast thought as it descended from the sky.
As for Konnor, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
From the very beginning, this creature only had eyes for him. Clearly, it came for him.
"Can you explain what's going on?"
"House Stolien is well known for its sensory abilities. This Accursed Beast must have sensed your demonic energy when you signed the contract with that serpent waste and smelled opportunity."
"This is good. It is time to release the energy you've stored from Zamira in a massive breakthrough. In another location, I'd recommend taming, but since we can't bring it back to the outside anyway, just butcher it!"
With a breakthrough and your lineage weapon, this shouldn't be too difficult. I will teach you how to refine it into a totem to absorb its physique and innate abilities."
However, Konnor was annoyed.
With Nier right by his side, how could he summon Man-Breaker? The only thing he could do now was to knock her out to prevent her from discovering his demonic powers.
However, before he could act on his thoughts, Nier stood in front of him.
"I will try to buy you some time!
You saved my life before, now it is my turn to pay you back.
Run!"
As soon as she said those words, vast silver light erupted from her body alongside heavy grey fog. Her long silver hairs erratically fluttered at her back while her skin glowed like a full moon within the dark sky and a formidable force emerged from her body.
Her cultivation skyrocketed, going from the ninth step Grand Knight and Grand Priest to the third step Arch-Knight and Arch Priest.
"Oh? A Pureblooded True Spirit?"
Chapter 60 - Foolish Girl
Both Konnor and the Stolien Beast's eyes now locked on Nier. Lifted by the grey fog, she floated above the ground, holding a silver sword in her right hand and a dark-blue one in her left.
Within the Celestial Realm, spirits were the servants of the Deva Gods and were ranked differently depending on their bloodline levels and innate strength.
From lowest to highest, they were the Inferior Spirits, Elemental Spirits, True Spirits, and Greater Spirits.
Paragon Spirits were the weakest among the True Spirits and often appeared within the mortal worlds to carry out the will of their deva masters. The ancestors of the von Juras were summoned straight from the Celestial Realm. However, although they used intermarriage to maintain the purity of their bloodlines, over the countless years since their appearance within the Ancient Crystal World, there had been many breaches.
In today's generation, among the nine children of the Holy Emperor, the only Pureblooded True Spirits were the Crown Prince, the fifth prince, and Nier.
"I didn't expect her to be a Pureblooded True Spirit. Although her bloodline and yours are not on the same level in terms of strength and potential, within
this world, it should stand at the top.
Her battle power should also be quite outstanding."
The Flame Mark remarked within Konnor's mind. However, with his eyes fixed on Nier whose long hairs danced in front of him, Konnor paid it no heed.